Magic Hunter (The Rover series Book 4) Read online

I snorted. “Those rocks were turned. I doubt we’d even be able to get back in after the way we left things.”

  “You still think too much with your heart than your head. Next time, try negotiating.”

  I took offense to that. Especially when I tried not to hurt them. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that, because I don’t want to put on pants to come kick your ass right now.”

  He said, “I’ll call you when I have something. You, go back to the night market,” and hung up.

  I slid my phone onto the counter and watched Fin go through his moves while I sipped my coffee. When he finished, he’d worked up a nice sweat and a sharp bite of regret consumed me. Damn it. I could be joining him in the shower right now and we could have another work out together.

  Before I let my hormones or the mating thing run away with me, I grabbed a granola bar and settled on the couch with my laptop to do some research. We’d lost ground the previous day. Melinda might think no one else could help us, but I didn’t believe that for a second. Not with billions of people on the planet.

  I spent the day ignoring Fin and doing research. He joined me at some point but didn’t offer any details on what he hunted for himself. When the sun started to set, I tucked my laptop away and went to get dressed for our second trip out to the Night Market.

  Fin drove the SUV, and I kept silent in the passenger seat as he questioned this choice for the fifth time since he heard me talking to Hawk this morning.

  When we made it to the clearing, night had descended. But no matter what magical tricks we tried, we couldn’t get access to the market.

  “Is this unusual?” I asked as we headed back to the car.

  He climbed in. “No, but occasionally they move the market. If we want to go back inside, we’ll have to find the coordinates again.”

  “How do we do that?” I asked, buckling my seat belt.

  “A broker.”

  We pulled back onto the main road to head into town. “Where do we find one of these people?”

  He sighed heavily. “They’re spirits. I’ll see about finding one when we get back, but please note, I don’t think going back to the market will help us.”

  “Noted, but cut the attitude. I’m sorry my tutors in the magical ways have been lacking and that I don’t know that I need to find a ghost to get to some fantasy magical marketplace I’d never heard of before two days ago.”

  His hands tightened on the wheel. “My apologies. I’m just on edge.”

  A wave of heat and sexual need washed through me so hard I squeezed my thighs together and gripped the door for support. “Jesus Fucking Christ. What the hell was that?”

  “Don’t worry about it.” He gritted through his teeth and drove faster.

  I eyed him, watching for any other signs of this sexual onslaught, but he gave me nothing but the tight edge of his jaw as he stared out the windshield.

  We made it back to the safehouse in record time and I let him lead the way up the elevator into the apartment. The moment he unlocked the door, he reached underneath the back of his jacket to slide out the wicked sword he’d been working with this morning.

  I gripped the handles of my knives tucked against my thighs and followed him into the apartment.

  Helix lounged on our couch, drinking our booze in a twenty-thousand-dollar suit.

  I released my knives and cut in front of Fin who looked ready to gut him. “Do you bother abiding by locks or are they just a suggestion to you?”

  He waved his drink toward me in acknowledgment. “Eh, sometimes it’s fun when I get a challenge. And your wards were definitely a challenge.”

  Fin stepped up beside me, the sword now gone. “And yet, you still managed to break them, how?”

  Helix scanned Fin, head to toe. “It’s not you, princeling. It’s part of my gift. I can unlock anything given enough time.”

  Fin went rigid beside me. I reached out and grabbed his hand before he launched himself over the couch toward Helix.

  “What can we do for you? I’m pretty sure you made your position clear last night. And I didn’t appreciate the headache I left with.”

  He climbed off the couch, crossed to the bar, and refilled his glass then poured two more. Once he handed them out, with a little grin for Fin, we sat down.

  I barely had time to wonder why all the boys seemed to clamor after Fin with me sitting right beside him. He had a way of drawing them in.

  “Melinda has decided she will help you but under a very strict set of rules,” he said, looking at me.

  “Rules you likely laid out, am I right?”

  He inclined his head. “Of course. Her safety is my life, and I would never allow her to compromise herself, even if putting herself in danger is what’s right.”

  I thought this might be the closest thing to an apology this shiny penny was capable of.

  After a swig of the bourbon, I waved at him. “Tell us what you want then. We’ll see if we can make a deal to get this done.”

  He split his attention between us. “She agreed to work with you, but she won’t see you again, either of you.”

  Fin looked like he might protest but I patted his forearm, hoping he’d catch my hint to shut the hell up.

  When he sat back again, I rubbed his thigh in thanks, my eyes still locked on Helix. “What else?”

  “You will sign a magical contract with me laying out the needs and parameters of this partnership.”

  Fin spoke up. “Containing what? We need to know every detail before we’ll consider signing it.”

  With his knowledge of this world, I let him lead the next part of the discussion, but by the end even I realized Helix held something back, something important.

  “Just spit it out,” I said, eyeing them and the barely restrained testosterone wafting through the room .

  Helix cleared his throat and sat his glass on the coffee table. “Part of the process will require a lot of magic. I won’t allow Melinda to be drained after she helps in case we need to make an escape. I won’t leave her defenseless. So, this magic will be provided by you.”

  Fin froze beside me and I had to look at him to make sure he was still breathing.

  His voice was tight when he answered. “You want one of us to give up our magic?”

  “Temporarily of course, and only as much as we need to complete the process. Nothing more and nothing less.”

  And yet he expected one of us to do something it was obvious he’d never do, obviously. Which made me wonder, what would it feel like to once again, be magic-less?

  Chapter Twelve

  FIN HADN’T RELAXED next to me since Helix made his request. which made me think there was a level of this exchange I didn’t understand.

  I waited for Fin to offer an explanation, but his attention was focused on the man across from us. “Now, why would you think we’d blindly walk into this deal?”

  Helix dragged his gaze between us. “I assumed you needed help. At any cost according to you, Zoey. This is the price for that help. Take it or leave it. I don’t care either way.”

  He looked down at his drink, then shook his head. “No, that’s a lie. I do care because I want her to say no. I want her to walk away from this entire thing and tell you to go fuck yourselves before she ends up dead.”

  If I hadn’t seen the depth of his feelings for Melinda, I might have taken offense to that statement, and I might have thrown his ass off the balcony to see if flying was in his repertoire.

  “Let’s pretend we say yes,” I started.

  Fin grabbed my free hand hard in his. I cast him a placating glance.

  “What would be required? How would it work or affect the person giving up the magic?’

  “The how is the easy part. Once the contract is signed, the magic in the contract does the work. It’s like sucking a milkshake through a straw and then it’s done. It’ll take a few days likely for the person to recover the use of his magic and then he’d be fine, no lasting harm.”

  Fin sq
ueezed my hand too tight, and I winced. “Except someone else would have control over another person’s magic to do anything at all with it. I’d say that has the potential for harm.”

  Helix took a long drink and resettled with his arm over the back of the couch. “We would also be bound by the terms of the contract. It will clearly outline the parameters of the use of the borrowed magic.”

  Fin huffed, and I almost laughed at how worked up he was getting.

  I frowned at him. “But I doubt you’re going to list step by step what she intends to do with the magic. If step two in a five-step process is murder, and you only tell me the end result, I’ll still be complicit in murder.”

  Fin was about to combust. It didn’t help that Helix threw out alpha vibes and Fin already owned that road in the house.

  I tugged his hands into my lap, but I spoke to Helix. “Can you go away somewhere so Fin and I can have a chat?”

  “Where do you want me to go?”

  I stood, dragging Fin up with me. “I’ll show you to the door. You can go wherever you want but then come back so I can tell you what we decide. Or better yet, I’ll give you a call when we have a decision.”

  Helix looked like wanted to argue, but he threw back the rest of his drink, set the empty glass on the table, and stood. Deftly, he buttoned his jacket and walked himself toward the door.

  Once he left, Fin locked the door and then closed his eyes, no doubt working on the shields Helix had somehow shattered with seemingly little effort.

  When he sighed and opened his eyes again, I closed the gap between us and let him put his arms around me. “Let’s discuss this, and by discuss, I mean you need to break down fairy magic for me yet again.”

  He hugged me tight, pressing his chin on top of my head. After he pulled away, he led me back to the couch and settled with one of his legs bent in front of him.

  I thought he’d launch into his explanation but instead he tugged a brown elastic from his wrist and gathered his hair up into a messy bun at the back of his neck.

  “Fin? Are you okay?” I angled my head so I could meet his downcast eyes.

  “Yes, I’m just trying to think of a way to explain the severity of what he’s asking from us.”

  I took his hand. “It’s not us. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. I’m the one who asked for their help, and I can be the one to pay the price.”

  “Don’t be too hasty here. Let me explain what someone would face doing this.”

  I released him and grabbed my abandoned drink. “Okay, shoot.”

  “Running through your magic naturally is how your body is supposed to work. By offering your magic up to be taken, to be used by someone else, it’s like ripping out a piece of your soul and handing it over to a stranger. It’s not something to be taken lightly and it’s highly unusual for anyone to agree to it.”

  I nodded and considered the information. Also, the slight tremor in his voice. It wasn’t just the magical sacrifice, but he feared something.

  “What are you afraid of?”

  He forced out a breath and it sounded almost like a growl. “I’m scared of not being able to protect you. I’m scared of you giving up too much that you don’t even realize you’re offering. Is it really worth this sacrifice?”

  “To remove a major weapon from Esteban’s hands? Yes, it is.” It baffled me that he couldn’t see our reasoning. And yet, fear must be what blinded him to reality. After all, the knife took the Captain’s life, and it almost got him too. I set my glass on the coffee table.

  Once we took this step forward, it was as good as agreeing to face Esteban again. Right now, safe together, we could pretend that final battle would happen in some unknown future, eventually. Agreement would put the plan in motion and that plan, once again, would lead to facing someone who had taken so much from both of us.

  I shifted closer to him and took his face in my hands.

  “I understand what you are saying, and I hear what you’re not saying. I don’t know if it’s the bond or what, but I can feel how scared you are.” I pressed my forehead against his. “I don’t want you to think I’m running into this headfirst because I’m not terrified. I am. I’m so scared of losing you, of dying, and yet, I know we can’t just stay in limbo and wait for him to come to us again.”

  His forehead rubbed against mine as he nodded. “I know. I feel you too. And it is the bond, but it’s also a connection we share, the same one we had since we met.”

  We stayed that way, our heads together, sitting in silence. .

  “I’ll be the one to do it,” I whispered, at length. “I know you want to but you’re stronger magically and if I need protection, I trust you to do it.”

  He captured my face and brushed his mouth over mine. “You’re so damn strong. The strongest person I know.”

  I laughed. “I’m going to remind you that you said that the next time you argue with me about something I’ve done or want to do.”

  “Like now?”

  I kissed him, and as I tasted whiskey from his lips, I knew I’d make this choice for us over and over again.

  When I pulled away, Fin said, “Don’t think this means I agree with what you said. I don’t think you should be the one to give up your magic. It’s too unpredictable at the moment. We don’t know how much they would need or even how it might affect you to lose it.”

  Damn him and his logic. “I get that, but as I said, if it comes down to a magical fight, I definitely want you on the front line if it’s only one of us.”

  He narrowed his eyes and lifted my chin with his thumb to force our gazes together. “You’re strong, but stubborn. So damn stubborn.”

  I laughed. “Sadly, that won’t be changing anytime soon. Besides, I’m sure you knew that before we even met. It’s the number one complaint from Hawk and the Chief...hell, probably the Captain too if I ever let him register an opinion.”

  Taking hold of his belt loops I tugged him tighter into me. “And I’m not afraid to use my wiles to convince you to let me do this.”

  His eyelids slid to half-mast, a dreamy look entering them. “You think I’m so easily swayed?”

  Even as he said it, I could feel him growing hard against my belly. “Oh, I do. You did say you didn’t get out much before me. Am I safe to assume you weren’t running around dating as well? How long had it been before our first time together?”

  “I’m not answering that,” he said. His eyes crinkled at the corners. “It may have been a while, but I assure you, I’m perfectly capable of seeing to your needs.”

  I nipped his bottom lip with my teeth. “Oh, I know.”

  We stared at each other a moment. The blue glow in his eyes seemed to intensify as he looked at me.

  Finally, after what felt like an eternity he nodded. “We’ll do it your way, but please register the fact that I hate the idea and I wish you would let me do it, or that we could find another way.”

  “What if she is your sister? You don’t trust her?”

  He dropped his eyes from mine. “It’s not that. I don’t dare hope it’s her, but if it is her, how could I trust her when, as you say, she’s an entirely different person.”

  His comment made me wonder if Helix knew her true identity? Was she really Sol? And if she was, did Helix know Fin was her brother?

  I tugged Fin back to the couch and fished my phone from my pocket. There was one unread text from an unknown number. It said: Text when you’re ready for me to return.

  Hitting the reply button, I typed out: We’ve talked it out. We’re ready.

  Now, we waited. Despite Fin’s hesitation about the situation, I didn’t have the same feelings. It was a surety deep in my gut. These people wouldn’t betray us to Esteban. They would sure as shit leave us high and dry to save their own asses, but they wouldn’t go out of their way to get us killed. I could live with those odds, and to be honest, I’d do the same to them if it was Fin in danger, or the Chief. Hawk came to mind too but I wasn’t going to me
ntally admit how much I liked him.

  It didn’t take long for a knock on the door. Fin rolled his eyes and shoved off the couch.

  I laughed at the sour look on his face. “At least he knocked this time.”

  When Fin threw the door open Helix sauntered in, his hands tucked tight into his pockets. “You two love birds work things out?”

  I waved at the couch opposite me. “Obviously, or we wouldn’t have messaged you. Lord knows we don’t want to actually spend time with you.”

  He grinned and took the seat I offered, then unbuttoned his jacket and tugged out a single sheet of paper which had been rolled up inside. “Then let’s get this done.”

  I shifted forward so my knees butted against the coffee table. “What do I need to do?”

  He jerked his head up from scanning the sheet and looked between us. “You can’t be the one to offer your magic. It has to be him.”

  Goosebumps pebbled down my arms, as a wave of magic washed through the room, but I couldn’t tell if it came from Fin or Helix.

  “Why does it matter?” I asked. “Power is power, right?”

  “Melinda is a fae. Her magic is fae. She needs fae power to work it. You aren’t fae.”

  Fin surged across the space and I put my hand up to stop him. To my surprise, he actually stopped.

  I narrowed my gaze at Helix. “I’m half fae. I can access that power, so why does it matter?”

  Fin threw himself onto the couch beside me and tugged me into him like he wanted to reassure me that I was enough for him. It was kind of sweet in a territorial testosterone overload kind of way.

  Helix gentled his tone and that grated on me even more than the point-blank delivery. “It won’t work. There can’t be any variables and your power has too many variables to it. It might work if we had the time and a safety bubble, but we aren’t fortunate to have those things right now.”

  I glanced up at Fin. “Well, I guess you get your way after all. But if you do anything stupid, I will kill you.”

  “Noted,” Fin said, tenderness lining his eyes as he stared down at me.

  I dragged my gaze away before I did something idiotic like kiss him. Helix cleared his throat.